


Comfort

by imaginingmultifandom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Break Up, F/M, Fanfiction, Feels, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:40:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginingmultifandom/pseuds/imaginingmultifandom
Summary: George Weasley has always been there for you, and that doesn't change when Draco Malfoy breaks up with you. And you'll need his comfort more than ever when it seems like your ex-boyfriend has already moved on.But things aren't quite as they seem, and Draco manages to get into your head over and over again. Lingering feelings and new sparks flying will have you question everything.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader, George Weasley/Reader
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

A sigh escaped your lips as your eyes wandered over your notes from Potions class, noticing today's date you had absentmindedly scribbled down on the top of your parchment paper.

George looked up from his own notes at the sound of your voice in the otherwise quiet library where you had sat down to study together, and asked you with a small smirk, "You alright there, Y/N? Finally joining me in my desperation over Snape's Potion class?"

"Today it's been two months," You mumbled quietly, so stuck in your own thoughts that you didn't regard his initial question. "Two months since-" You couldn't bring yourself to finish your sentence, and you didn't have to. George knew what you were on about, a small "oh." forming on his mouth.

"Two months since he-" He started, and you nodded softly.

"Since he broke up with me like I meant nothing after we had been together for almost a year? Yeah," You didn't mean to sound bitter, but there was a part of you that couldn't help it. The wound from your breakup with Draco wasn't fresh anymore, but it wasn't exactly healed either.

You were okay most days, able to distract yourself with the help of your best friends - the Weasley twins, and especially George, had been there for you nonstop - but some things still reminded you of him and brought back the pain. Even if it was something as silly as today's date.

"You know I'd be more than happy to make him vomit slugs or slip him a puking pastille for what he's done to you," George joked, knowing he could cheer you up this way, "You just have to say the word."

He accomplished what he wanted, as he could see a small smile forming on your lips again.

"And you know I appreciate the offer," You remarked fondly, "But it's fine, really. It's silly that I'm still bothered by it, honestly.

"It's not silly." George's voice was more earnest than before, "He's done wrong, Y/N. And you're allowed to feel hurt by that."

"You turning into Dumbledore with all that wisdom?" You couldn't help but tease, knowing that George would know that you appreciated his kind words nevertheless.

"Maybe," He replied back, that familiar gleam of goofiness back in his eyes, "You should feel lucky, normally I'd charge 5 galleons for this kind of profoundness. But you get this free sample since you're my best friend,"

"Thank you, truly." You responded sarcastically, mockingly bowing your head to him as a thankful gesture.

Looking back down on your notes in an effort to finally study, you caught a glimpse of today's date again. A painful reminder of what had started this funny banter with George, and the smile that you just had disappeared again.

You hoped George hadn't noticed, but as he spoke up again you knew he did.

"We could go to Hogsmeade later," He suggested, trying to offer a distraction to you, "Fred and some others were actually talking about going, we could join them."

It didn't take long for you to think of your answer, knowing that a good time with your friends could be exactly what you needed today.

"Sounds good," You answered, "I'm in." And with that plan set, you could finally concentrate on the parchment paper in front of you.

It was late afternoon when you met just outside of Hogwarts with the others who wanted to go to Hogsmeade, and the sun was already beginning to set on this snowy winter day.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry were tagging along, as well as Dean and Seamus that followed closely behind them. Fred and George were the last ones that arrived at your meeting point, the latter's Gryffindor scarf only loosely wrapped around his neck, seemingly thrown around it in a hurry. George came to a stop next to you, and your hands instinctively went up to pull his scarf closer around his neck protectively. He didn't mind your quiet gesture in the slightest, instead looking down at you with a soft smile. There had always been this sort of small intimacy between the two of you, even when you had been with Draco. It felt innocent, really. You never questioned it, as it was always something that came naturally to you within your friendship with the red-head.

"Come on people let's go, we don't have all day," Fred remarked with a smirk and clapped his hands together as if he and George hadn't been the last people to arrive.

As a group, you began to make your way down to Hogsmeade, you walking between Fred and George, as it had become a habit between the three of you. It was colder than you had expected, the freezing temperature creeping up your jacket and making you shiver.

It was only the slightest shake that ran up your back, but George noticed it anyway out of the corner of his eye. Without speaking a word he put his arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer to his side. You felt your stomach flutter but chose to blame that on the warmth that engulfed you. It certainly wasn't the sudden feeling of being this close to George that made you feel that way. It couldn't be.

He and you spend the rest of the way listening to one of Fred's newest prank ideas, and for a moment you forgot the reason why you had needed a distraction in the first place.

That was until you arrived at Hogsmeade, and you saw him. There Draco was, stood in front of Honeydukes. You immediately spotted a familiar girl next to him, and your stomach turned at what you noticed next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A painful encounter leaves you in shock, even though you’re not quite sure why it hurts so much. Whether it is your bruised ego or lingering feelings, Draco seems to have moved on and you’ll have to deal with it.

You stood still, startling George with your abrupt movement. Your eyes were fixed on the two people in front of Honeydukes, just a few meters away from where you were. His back was turned to you, but you would recognize that familiar blonde anywhere.

Frozen in place, you watched as Draco nonchalantly pressed a kiss to the cheek of the girl next to him.

"What's wrong, Y/N?" You could hear George and Fred ask in unison, but you didn't have to answer them. They could see it for themselves, as they instinctively followed your gaze and looked in the same direction as you did.

Draco turned at that exact moment, looked up and just so happened to meet your eyes from the distance. His hand fell from where he had been holding the hand of the girl, who you recognised to be Pansy Parkinson, soon realising who it was that had spotted him.

You just couldn't believe it. Sure, there had been some rumours that Draco had moved on from you already, but you had let it slide. Those were just rumours, after all. But now you could see it with your own eyes, and it hurt you more than you'd like to admit. You couldn't pinpoint whether it was some lingering feelings that caused your hurt, or rather your bruised ego conflicted with how he could have someone new so quickly. Maybe it really was your pride and ego that played a major part in this, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"That bleeding git," You could hear George curse beside you, and that pulled you out of your thoughts. You also noticed that the twin's arm was still wrapped protectively around your shoulders, and it seemed like you weren't the only person who realised that.

Draco was stood as still as you were, only raising his eyebrows at the redhead's arm around you. There was a part of you that felt caught in the act, even though you had done nothing wrong. He was the one with someone else, you tried to remind yourself, not you. Nevertheless, you slowly wriggled out of George's grip, still not quite sure why.

"Let's just go inside," You muttered, stomping towards the Three Broomsticks, the only thought left on your mind being to get away from this mess of a situation. You could hear Draco's voice calling out your name, but you chose to ignore it as you stepped into the pub.

No one in your group was quite sure what to do, everyone awkwardly standing around for a few moments longer before finally deciding to just follow you.

There were just a few smaller tables left in the Three Broomsticks, so your group split up and you sat down with Ron, Harry and Hermione, as well as the twins at one table, while Dean and Seamus found some stools at the bar. As Ron and Harry got up to order some butterbeer for everyone, Hermione and the twins tried their best to comfort you.

"I can't believe that guy," Hermione muttered and shook her head, "You really deserve better than that. He could have told you at least, instead of parading around with her," "We're gonna make him pay," Fred chimed in, "And I just happen to have the perfect prank for that-" "No need for that," You stopped him, and took a deep breath in an effort of recollecting yourself, "I was just shocked- I should have expected this, honestly. It's been two months, of course Draco has moved on. I can't expect him to be stuck in the past, like the way I am." You weren't sure if you tried to convince the others of that, or yourself.

"He broke up with you out of the blue, of course you're still a bit hung up on it, Y/N. Don't blame yourself," Hermione's words served as a painful reminder, but they were true. Your breakup really had been out of the blue, and Draco had never told you the reason for why he chose to do what he did. Of course he had tried to explain, but it had always sounded like a bunch of excuses, nothing ever quite making enough sense. Closure was the thing you needed most to let go, but Draco didn't seem to be willing to give you.

"Anyway," You tried to change the subject, hating to seem as vulnerable as you felt like you did now, "how much longer do you reckon will Harry and Ron make us wait for those butterbeers?"

The conversation went back to normal from then on, your friends knowing that they shouldn't push you to further talk about Draco if you didn't want to. You made an effort to nod along excitedly as Harry and Fred told a story about the latest quidditch match, feeling glad that no one seemed to notice that you were only able to listen half-heartedly because your thoughts were still elsewhere.

Well, no one besides George. He was sitting on the opposite side of the table from you, not buying in the slightest that you were as excited about Harry's latest catch of the snitch as you acted to be right now. Maybe normally you would be- but definitely not right after seeing your ex with the girl he always told you not to worry about.

George noticed the way your eyes always kept going back to the door of the pub for only the shortest moment, knowing that you were anxious that Draco Malfoy would come in any second. Without a word, the red-head reached across the table and took your hands in his. He gave them the slightest squeeze as you peeled your eyes away from Harry's storytelling, and met his gaze. He looked at you with such intent, you felt your breath stop for a moment. He had been unusually quiet since the encounter with Draco, but his gesture gave you more comfort than anything else.

You sometimes wondered how he did it, how he knew exactly when you needed him to make a joke to cheer you up, and when you'd be just as content with him holding your hand in silence.

You didn't have time to ponder on this for long, though. Because just at the moment you had your eyes fixed on George instead of the door of the Three Broomsticks, you could hear said door open. You didn't dare to look at first, silently wishing that it wasn't him coming in.

"Y/N," Draco's voice rang in your eyes, him not caring in the slightest about people hearing as he called through the crowded room. "You got a minute?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco has a way of messing with your head and making you question everything, and it hurts just like it did when you were still together. George is there for you through it all, and just hopes that that is enough.

"You got a minute?" You heard Draco's voice but hesitated for a moment before meeting his eyes. You were speechless, not having expected him to actually confront you like this.

"Just ignore him," You could hear George whisper, and you instantly. became aware that his larger hands were still wrapped around yours. Draco had seemed to notice that, too.

"Come on, Y/N. Just a quick chat," The blonde said, his eyes flickering between the way George was holding your hands and your gaze. "Or won't your loverboy let you?" He snidely commented, raising his eyebrows.

"No need to be rude if all you want is a simple chat," You retorted, nevertheless letting go of George and standing up from where you had been sitting. "You only get five minutes, Malfoy. Better have something good to tell me," You did your best to sound self-assured, but your knees felt weak as you followed Draco outside.

As you turned around to your friends to mouth that you'd be back soon, you noticed George looking down at his now empty hands with a look you couldn't quite place.

You didn't even know what exactly had made you go outside with Draco, but you chose to blame it on wanting to put him in his place for his snide remark.

"What do you want?" You barked at him, all the hurt you had been feeling in the past weeks turning you defensive around him.

"Calm down, darling." He responded, his tone almost smug, "Don't worry, I won't keep you away from your Weasley boy for too long."

You were aware that he only wanted to get under your skin with these type of comments, which made it even worse when he managed to succeed. Even though you knew Draco better than that, and therefore also knew that he was only trying to mask his own vulnerability with his smugness, it still annoyed you.

"First of all, he's not my boy or anything like that. Not that it's any of your business." You shot back, "And secondly, you're one to talk. Don't act like I didn't see you with Pans-"

"You're not with Weasley?" Draco stopped you before you could finish your sentence, his face as hard to read as always. For a second, it seemed like he was honestly surprised.

"No, I am not with George," You explained, your voice a bit calmer now. "Or anyone else, for that matter." You added, "But like I said, that's not any of your business. Not anymore."

"Oh," Draco only responded, instinctively matching your softer tone of voice. He remained quiet after that, appearing to be lost in thought before your words snapped him out of it.

"Oh?" You repeated, questioning his unusual reaction and sudden change of demeanour. "I don't get why you're so interested in my relationships in the first place. You broke up with me. And you're with Pansy now, anyway."

"I- yes, Pansy- but-" Draco stumbled on his words, which wasn't exactly typical for him. You wondered what had gotten into him all of the sudden. But it was only a moment later that he had his guard up again, and was back to the mean side of him he always presented whenever he wasn't able to show his true feelings and intentions. "Pansy's just some random fling to me. It isn't serious, just some fun."

"Does she know that's how you feel?" You narrowed your eyes at him, "Or are you just leading her on like you did to me?"

"It's nothing like what I had with you." Draco's voice was still serious, but you noticed his eyes softening as he spoke, "I didn't lead you on, Y/N. I never meant to,"

"So telling me you love me one day, then breaking up with me the next isn't leading me on?" You objected, and you could see that Draco wanted to respond, but you didn't let him. . "You didn't even bother to tell me why you left, and honestly, that's the worst part. You didn't grant me any closure." Your voice began to break, but you needed to get this off your chest, "It's been two months and I still can't properly move on-"

"Is that what you want?" Draco interrupted you, his hand instinctively reaching out to your shoulder to try and comfort you in some way. You backed away abruptly, though.

"What?" You asked, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Is that what you want," He repeated softly, taking a step to close the distance between you two. This time, you didn't back away, "you want to move on from me?"

"I- Draco, yes-" Now you were stumbling on your words, trying to organise your thoughts. He was so close now, the familiar scent of his cologne in your nose and his hot breath on your skin. You were suddenly painfully aware of the cold winter air around the two of you, and couldn't help but crave his warmth. "Of course I want that. You should want that." Your voice was back to merely a whisper now, but you weren't less angry.

"What if I don't want that?" Draco asked, and you were honestly baffled. The familiar feeling of being close to him had drawn you in for a moment, but this snapped you out of it.

"Is this some sort of game to you?" You fumed, backing away from him with an abrupt movement, "First you break up with me, and hurt me by parading around with someone else, then try to guilt-trip me into not moving on?"

"Y/N, that's not true and you know it." He spat back, anger written across his face again.

"How would I know though, Draco? Because it sure does look like that right now," You couldn't help the tears that were starting to run down your face, and Draco noticed them, too. Even if he did care about it, he didn't let it show.

"Bloody hell, you just don't get it, do you, Y/N?" The blond snapped, turning his back on you and starting to walk away, "Just forget it. I'm out of here."

He had always been explosive, especially during fights, never quite letting his vulnerable side show for long. You had caught glimpses of it here and there during your relationship with him, and there was a point in which Draco had even trusted you to the point of starting to open up completely. Looking back on it, that had been shortly before your break-up. You had always wondered about the timing of that.

"This is so bloody messed up, Malfoy," You yelled before he was out of reach, tears now flowing down your face with no use of stopping them. You had tried to be patient with him, always, but you couldn't take it anymore.

Your yelling must have caused quite the commotion, as your friends came storming out of the Three Broomsticks just a few seconds later.

"You alright, Y/N?" George's voice was the first one you heard, "We heard your voice and-" He stopped as you turned around to him, and he noticed the tears falling down your cheeks. The redhead stepped towards you immediately, engulfing you in his strong arms.

You let yourself collapse into his hug, hard sobs escaping your mouth as he tightened his grip around you. Just like with Draco, his scent was familiar. You had spent countless late nights with the twin, just laughing and talking until you were both so tired you fell asleep in each other's arms. You had never thought much of it, and even if your heart did race at times when he pulled you close, why would that be anything but a friendly sentiment?

"Let's leave them alone for the moment," Hermione whispered to the others who had also followed the sound of your yelling outside, and Fred, Ron, and Harry joined her as she went back into the pub.

Neither George nor you were paying attention to what was happening around you, so you didn't even notice them sneaking back in to give you privacy. Your sobs were beginning to get softer, and the tears started to slowly stop as George ran his fingers soothingly up and down your back.

He knew it would be pointless to ask you what had happened while you were in this state, so he didn't bother you with those questions. George knew you would explain sooner or later, and he would wait until you were ready.

"I'm seriously going to kick Malfoy's arse," He muttered instead, more to himself than you, and then added in a low whisper, "You don't deserve this, Y/N."

You couldn't bring yourself to answer, scared that it would cause the tears to start flowing again. Instead, you just nuzzled closer into him. You stood there like that for a few moments longer, until you felt something cold and slightly wet softly landing on the back of your neck.   
You pulled away slightly, realising that it was beginning to snow. You looked up to George just as a snowflake managed to land on your nose, and he slowly lifted his hand from your back to your face. His heart ached as he saw your face like this, all gloomy and dipped in the dimmed light of the streetlamp in front of the Three Broomsticks. He wiped away the snowflake and the remaining tears with his thumb, and the soft motion mixed with that dreamy look in his eyes nearly made your knees go weak.

"Come on, let's get you back to Hogwarts." He murmured tenderly, and you gave him the smallest nod.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George hates to see you get hurt by your ex over and over again, but Draco seems to always manage to pull you in somehow. You’ll have to promise your best friend that you’re gonna be more careful from now on. You’re not quite succeeding at that, though.

The walk back to Hogwarts was a quiet one, but honestly, you preferred it that way. It was a comfortable silence, next to George. He had dropped you off at your dorm room and walked back to his, and you had fallen into your bed almost immediately afterwards.

Your mind was spinning as you were laying there, trying to make sense of what had exactly happened during that talk with Draco. You couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that had bothered you the most, and that made you even more restless. It was already way past midnight as your eyes finally fell shut, and when you woke up the next morning you felt anything but refreshed.

Your first few classes of the day went by painfully slow, your only glimmer of hope being the fact that you could meet up with Fred and George during your lunch break later.

After what felt like years, lunch break finally arrived and you made your way over to the Great Hall. You spotted the twins as soon as you entered it, their tall redheaded figures not exactly hard to make out, even as the room was swamped with people.

They were sitting at the table already, and Fred was the one to spot you first. He smiled at you as soon as he spotted you, and gave his twin sitting next to him a nudge in the rib and gestured towards you to draw George's attention to the fact that you had arrived. Then, George looked up to you and gave you a smile as well, though it was a bit softer than his twin brother's.

You hurried up and made your way over to them, knowing that this lunch could do wonders for your mood. There was a free spot next to George, but you made a point out of squeezing between the two of them and making them move purely to annoy them playfully.

"Oi, Y/N," Fred let out, but had a smirk plastered on his face as he teased, "You could have just said that you were that desperate to sit next to me,"

"In your dreams," You teased back, "You know, I just thought this spot looked more comfortable. That's all,"

"Now you've hurt my feelings," Fred mockingly gasped and clutched his chest dramatically, "I thought we had agreed that I'm the better-looking twin and you'd always prefer me,"

"Nope," You replied jokingly, grabbing one of the sandwiches in front of you and popping a bite into your mouth casually, "We've been over this, and I can only repeat: it'll always be George for me. He's the more handsome one out of the two of you,"

"You heard her, Fred." George piped up, and as you looked over to him you weren't sure if your eyes were deceiving you or if his cheeks were really blushing, "Glad that argument is finally settled."

"Y/N's just biased," Fred responded, giving you a wink. Before you had time to think about what he meant by that, he had already changed the subject to a story of what Snape had been up to in his latest class. So, you brushed his cheeky comment aside and instead listened to his and George's back and forth.

By the time your lunch break was nearly over, you had almost forgotten about what had happened yesterday. As the three of you were joking around and chatting, George's thigh was just ever so faintly brushing against yours under the table.

You didn't even think to move your legs at the contact, even as his thigh was fully pressed against yours as he reached across the table to grab some food. Something about his touch made your spine tingle, even if it felt silly for it to have such an effect on you.

Before you could further dwell on this thought, you suddenly felt something else touch you. It was a tap on the shoulder, and you instinctively turned around to see who wanted to talk to you.

Your stomach turned as you saw a familiar blond pull his hand away from your shoulder, and disbelief was written all over your face.

"Hey." Draco simply said, his voice quieter than usual.

"Hey?" You questioned, wondering what it could be that he still wanted from you.

"Can we talk?" He asked, his eyes only fixed on you as a possible attempt to ignore the daggers the twins were sending him with their gazes.

"Haven't you done enough?" George responded in a low voice, his tone laced with a wave of anger you had never heard from him before, "You've had your chance to talk, mate. You blew it."

"I'm talking to Y/N. Not you," Draco responded, the usual snark back in his voice but his eyes still stoically fixed on you. "So, what do you say?"

You swallowed hard, your eyes flickering back between Draco, and the twins on either side of you. Fred and George were both shaking their heads at you slightly, urging you not to go without words.

"I want to apologize." Draco added, "But I'd prefer to do it in private."

Deep down you knew that it took a lot for him to swallow his pride and even admit something like that in front of others, which sadly, somehow made you want to give in to his request. Maybe you could finally get the answers you desired from him, this way.

"Fine." You let out and met Draco's intense gaze. Maybe just to avoid fully seeing the faint look of disappointment on George's face, which you had spotted out of the corner of your eye.

"Good," Draco's expression was still stern, but if you looked closely you could see that he was relieved, "Meet me in the Astronomy Tower before dinner." With another word, he headed back to his table.

"Are you sure about this?" Fred asked as soon as Draco was out of earshot, and you nodded slowly as a response.

"I guess," You said honestly and tried to explain your reasoning, "I just need clarity, and I think he's the only one that can give it to me. It'll be a quick and calm chat this time, I promise."

Fred nodded, and you waited for some kind of response from George. He stayed quiet.

"Do you think it's a bad idea, George?" You asked, not even sure what kind of reaction you had expected from him.

"It's your call, Y/N." He said simply, "And you know I'll always support your decisions. Even if I don't think he's particularly deserving of your time,"

George shifted ever so slightly in his seat as he spoke, and his thigh stopped touching yours. It was a simple movement on his part, but it felt like a punch to the gut to you. Somehow, him missing from your side left you feeling empty.

"Right-" You mumbled a bit awkwardly and let your eyes wander around the room, noticing that most of the other students were already getting ready to leave the Great Hall, "I guess I'll have to head to my next class as well." You were suddenly eager to get out of this situation, the hollow feeling of George's missing touch swirling around your mind and leaving you feeling dazed. "See you at dinner, boys."

"See you, Y/N." They replied in unison, though a bit taken aback by your sudden exit. They both watched as you got up and began walking out of the hall.

But even with your fast pace, you didn't manage to come very far until you could hear someone running up behind you, calling out your name.

"Y/N, wait." George caught up to you with large steps, grabbing ahold of your hand in an attempt to stop you.

"Yes?" You looked from where he was holding your hand up to his eyes, curious why he had come after you.

"I just-" He hesitated, lowering his voice as students passed by you on their way to class, "Just be careful with him, yeah?"

"George," You breathed out, noticing the usual mischief in his eyes had been replaced by earnest concern.

"I mean it." He added, his hand still holding firmly onto yours as neither of you seemed to want to pull away.

"I'm aware that yesterday was a mess, but I'll be fine today," You reassured him, "I can handle it."

"I know you can. I wouldn't doubt that for a second," The redhead gave your hand a light squeeze, and paused before whispering, "I- I'd just hate to see you get hurt again."

"I won't." You said, and in your mind desperately wished that that would turn out to be true.

"Okay, then." George responded with the smallest nod, "Still, you know where to find me if anything goes wrong, Y/N."

You gave him a soft nod as well, hesitantly pulling your hand away from his as you realised you still had to go to class. "I'll head off, now. Don't want to keep my dear teacher waiting," You said sarcastically, pretending to rush off.

"Sure," George smirked at you, "After all you're well known for being the model pupil that would never dare to be late,"

"Oh shut it, Weasley." You stuck your tongue out at him, feeling glad that it was always so easy to switch from a serious conversation to some playful teasing with him.

As you turned around to walk away to class, he called out to the students around you with a grin on his face, "Everyone please make way for our resident teacher's pet! Can't you see she's in a rush?"

You couldn't help the laugh escaping your mouth but still turned around to him one more time to mockingly roll your eyes. He grinned back at you so widely, it made your heart feel full.

Sometime later, you were finally finished with all your classes for the day. This also meant that your meeting with Draco was coming closer and closer, which you simultaneously dreaded and couldn't wait for. It was a weird and uneasy feeling.

Your legs were shaking as you walked up the Astronomy Tower about an hour later, not knowing what to expect. As you reached the final stairs, you realized that Draco had already arrived before you. At first, his back was facing to you as he gazed out of one of the enormous windows.

He turned around as soon as he heard your footsteps though, the look in his eyes giving away genuine surprise about the fact that you had shown up, "I wasn't sure if you would come."

"I told you I would, Draco." You responded matter-of-factly, "And now that I'm here, tell me what it is that you want."

"I meant what I said earlier, I want to apologize." He spoke slowly and then paused. Draco struggled with what to say next, you could see it on his face, "I'm sorry, yeah?"

"Sorry for what?" You wouldn't let him off so easily and tried to appear firm.

"For messing it up yesterday," He mumbled, visibly trying to find the right words, "I know I shouldn't have snapped, I know how you hate that,"

"I do," You responded honestly, your voice calm as you saw that Draco at least tried to put earnest effort into his apology. This finally felt like a real opportunity to talk things out, "And I'm sorry too, Draco. I was way too quick to upset because seeing you with Pansy caught me off-guard-"

"I told you it wasn't anything serious with her." Draco interrupted a bit too harshly, "I just did it because-" He stopped himself at that point, his mouth suddenly falling shut.

"Because of what?" You asked, genuinely surprised by his abrupt change of tone. It just seemed suspicious.

Draco looked at you like you had caught him in the act, and he knew that you would just press further on the issue if he didn't bring his sentence to a finish, "Because I thought you definitely would have gotten with that Weasley boy by now,"

"What?" You narrowed your eyes at him, "Why do you always just assume that something is going on with me and George?"

"Because that's why I broke up with you in the first place," Draco's words left his mouth sooner than he had liked them to, and he desperately wished he could take them back as soon as he saw the crushed look in your eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco reveals the reason why he broke up with you, and it leaves you in shock. You feel guilty about falling back into George’s arms for comfort once more, especially because it seems like something between the two of you has changed.

"What do you even mean by that?" Your voice sounded defeated as you tried to make sense of what your ex-boyfriend had just said. You just couldn't understand, couldn't react.

Draco remained silent, feeling as if he had already said too much. Maybe he had, but that didn't stop you from wanting him to explain.

"What do you mean?" You emphasized each word, needing to just hear him say it.

"I just thought-" He stumbled over his words, "I just thought that you would always prefer him over me. I didn't want to regret opening up to you, when you would just end up leaving me for him anyway.."

"You could have just talked to me about that, Draco. Could have told me about those feelings and doubts," You objected with a hard voice, rubbing your temples while you were attempting to reorganize your thoughts, "I never had any intent to leave you for him,"

"And I know that now," Draco interrupted again, his words hasty in an attempt to explain and get you back on his side, "So I thought maybe we could try again, now that I'm sure,"

"What the hell," You only managed to exclaim at first, purely shocked by what he had just proposed. "So this all-" You scoffed loudly, taking in all at once what had been his reasoning all along, "This all was some sort of fucked-up test to you? Seeing if I'd go running to George once you broke up with me as some way of finding out whether I'm trustworthy? And then you'd come in and just swoop me up again?"

"No, I don't know, maybe," Draco stuttered, and with that, you had your answer.

"I honestly don't know what to say. You're just such an arsehole, Malfoy." Your tone was stone-cold, even though the anger bubbling inside your body made your face feel hot.

You couldn't believe that all along you wanted to know his reason behind leaving you, and now that you had it, it was worse than anything you could have possibly thought up in your mind in these last two months.

"Y/N, please." Draco pleaded, stepping further towards you and extending his hand towards yours.

"Don't," You glared at him, and his hand fell to his side again. His eyes looked darker than ever, and you spotted a single tear rolling down his left cheek. And the worst thing was, you couldn't even pity him in that moment. Instead, you just felt nothing.

"I love you, Y/N." He was begging now, swallowing his pride in a desperate attempt to win you back somehow, "Please, try to forgive me- I love you so much,"

"You know what the most fucked up thing about this is? I even believe you that you do," You gave a bitter laugh, truly fed up with everything he had done to you, "But that doesn't change anything."

You gave him one last look, taking in his slumped figure before you. Nothing about him resembled the guy you had been in love with for the past year.

"Don't ever talk to me again. I never want to have any part in your mind games again," You knew your words were harsh, but you meant it. You had always given him yet another chance to right his wrongs, but he wasn't ever going to do that. That much you knew now.

As you turned around to walk away from him, you couldn't stop the tears from flowing. You stumbled down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower in a daze, the faint noise of Draco's sobs ringing in your ears.

The hallways of Hogwarts were fairly empty by now, most of the students already having left for dinner. Which was lucky for you, seeing as your tears just couldn't seem to dry down no matter how hard you tried. You really weren't in the mood for anyone to see you like this and a huge amount of relief rushed over you as you finally arrived at your dorm and saw that it was empty. You laid down on your bed, lazily covering yourself in your blanket.

All your mates were at dinner, but you just couldn't be bothered. You were way too shook up still, and you knew the others would notice something was off even if you would try your best to pretend to be fine. Especially George, you would never be able to fool him. He had always been able to see right through you.

Your heart ached as you thought about him, knowing that he had warned you that something like this would happen. Why did you have to tell him you wouldn't be hurt? And why did he have to be right about this being just another mess with Draco?

Right now, there was nothing that you craved more than his comfort. Deep down, you knew that even if you were silly enough to turn up to dinner right now, with your eyes all puffy and red, he would be the first to get up and rush towards you. You couldn't help but imagine him wrapping you up in his strong arms, whispering sweet nothings in your ear and it instantly making you feel like you're home.

You caught yourself getting lost in that thought for longer than you would like to admit. The only thing that snapped you out of it was the guilt creeping up on you, realising how hypocritical it would be to seek his comfort now.

He had warned you, time and time again, that Draco truly didn't deserve you. But you always thought you knew better, just to end up sobbing in George's arms again. Wouldn't it be unfair to crawl back to him again now, even more defeated and hurt than ever before? After telling him you could handle it?

A knock on your door pulled you out of your muddled thinking, and you immediately sat up in your bed. It couldn't be one of your dormmates coming in, they wouldn't knock. So who could it be?

"Y/N, you in there?" George's voice rumbled through the door, but you felt frozen in place. What was he doing here?

"Yeah, yeah," You quickly called out as you regained your composure, sitting up a bit straighter before you added, "Come in,"

George did as he was told, and closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room, "I was just wondering why you aren't at dinner," He sat down on the corner of your bed, his hands in his lap.

"I'm just not feeling good, got a bit of a headache," You lied through your teeth, and tried to quickly distract George from his question, "How did you get into the girls' dorm, anyway?"

"You know I have my ways," He gave you a small smirk, but it disappeared as soon as he noticed your glassy eyes and puffy cheeks, "Are you sure it's a headache that's bothering you?"

There was no point in lying, you knew it. But still, you didn't want to feel like you were burdening George, again. "It's nothing, really."

"Y/N," The twin emphasized your name, raising his eyebrows at you, "You know you can be honest with me. I'll leave it if you don't want to talk about it, but please don't act like nothing's going on."

"Fine," You sighed, knowing that he was right, "Let's just say my meeting with Draco was worse than I expected,"

"You want to talk about it?" George asked gently, and then gestured towards the dorm door, "We could go for a walk,"

"Yes," You didn't ponder on his question for too long, realising once more that this was exactly what you needed, "I'd quite like that."

"Come on then," He ushered for you to get up, and he did the same before walking outside your dorm. You grabbed your jacket before following him, absent-mindedly wiping lightly on your face in an attempt to make yourself look a bit less like you had just been crying your eyes out.

You sneaked out alongside George, trying not to run into any teacher who would just question why you two weren't at dinner. They'd think you would be up to god knows what, especially with the twins' reputation as pranksters.

As you finally stepped outside, the cold air hit your face immediately. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling though, instead, it soothed you in a way.

"See, some fresh air is good, right?" George piped up next to you, pulling his scarf a bit tighter around his neck.

"It actually is," You admitted, "I'm glad you got me out of my room a bit. Thank you,"

"No need to thank me," He smiled back at you, "You know I always appreciate a good opportunity to sneak around,"

"Yeah, I know you do," You chuckled lightly before your face fell again. You remembered what had brought you out here in the first place, and you truly wanted to tell George about what happened. You just didn't know where to start, "How did you know I would be in my dorm, anyway?"

"It doesn't exactly take a mastermind to figure that one out," George retorted with a grin, you both walking side by side as you wandered aimlessly around Hogwarts, "But to be honest, I actually checked in the Astronomy Tower first once I noticed you weren't at dinner, I thought maybe you had stayed there after your talk,"

"Was he.. still there?" You asked hesisantly.

"Yeah," George tried to approach the subject carefully, and his voice was barely above a whisper, "I was halfway up the stairs when I could hear him.. cry. I turned around immediately, and headed back down,"

"Oh," Is all you were able to let out at first, even though you already knew that Draco had begun to cry as you left. You figured that maybe a part of you still couldn't believe that it was affecting him this badly as well.

"Yeah, oh," George repeated, and murmured more to himself than you, "I don't know what happened to make him cry, but.. he really does love you, I'll give him that. It doesn't wrong his rights, but still."

You just nodded, and in your head tried to find a way to sum up everything that had happened so you could finally explain to your best friend. But how would George feel, once you told him that this somehow all involved him too? Would he think that Draco's fixation of you leaving for him was ridiculous? Would it change things between you two?

"He finally told me why he broke up with me," You started abruptly, and George turned his head to you to listen intently. "He told me that he thought I would just end up leaving him, at some point. Leave him for.. someone else,"

"What the hell," George responded, "How did he get that idea? Who would you even leave him for," His voice went a bit quiet before he added the next part, and it seemed to you there was a hint of sorrow in it, "It always seemed to me like you had only eyes for him. And no one could change that,"

"Well.." You were almost mumbling now, scared of how George would react to your next words, "Turns out he thought I would.. end up with you, I guess."

George's eyes opened widely, and he stopped in his tracks.

You didn't give him any time to further react though, instead you stopped next to him and rambled on with your explanation, "Anyway, in his way he saw this whole break-up as some sort of test of whether I ever I'd move on quickly,"

"He can't be serious," The redhead couldn't believe what he was hearing, he hadn't even begun to process yet that Draco had seen him as some sort of threat. And his reasoning behind the breakup was even more ridiculous.

"He said something along the lines that Pansy had just been a fling to him, something to get back at me when he thought I was with.. you." You explained further, searching George's face for some kind of reaction.

George felt everything at once, devastation as he realised how much that meeting must have hurt you, and the ever-growing urge to punch Draco Malfoy's teeth out. And in there, mixed with those emotions, was the slightest glimmer of.. hope, maybe? Hope because Draco had seen him as a person that you could possibly fall in love with and choose over him? He felt guilty about it, but that feeling was there.

"I can't believe he would do that to you. I'm so sorry, Y/N." George wanted to comfort you, more than anything else. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You're already doing more than I deserve, honestly." You responded softly, "I should say sorry to you, George. You told me I should be careful, but I wasn't. You should be sick of my complaining by now," You began to walk again, trying to keep yourself busy somehow.

"I could never be sick of that," He immediately responded, following alongside you as you continued to wander around, "Or sick of you, for that matter. I told you I'd be there if anything goes wrong, and I meant it."

"Thank you." That was all you could say, but it was so heartfelt. You realised that you didn't have to feel guilty about accepting your best friend's help, "For everything,"

Now and then, your arm brushed lightly against George's as you walked. And every time it did, it felt like sparks were flying between the two of you. You wondered if George could feel it, too.

"There's one thing I haven't told you yet," You broke the silence again, "He asked me for another chance. Told me he still loved me, and all that."

George stared at you in disbelief, and in the back of his mind, he felt the glimmer of hope losing its light. He was sure you wouldn't go back to Draco after all this, but what if his lingering feelings meant that yours lingered, too?

"Don't worry, I'm not considering it of course. As far as I know, I never want him to talk to me again," You quickly assured him, noticing the quite visible shock on his face.

"Do you still love him, though?" George's question came out bolder than he had wanted it too, but he couldn't help it. The way your arm kept brushing against his send sparks flying through his body, and you looked so lovely with the way the moonlight reflected off the snow around you onto your face.

He needed to know if Draco was still the one on your mind, or if maybe there was even the slightest chance for him. If there wasn't, he'd always stay your best friend regardless, of that much he was sure. But he needed to hear you answer his question, first.

Now you were the one to stop in your tracks, and you looked George directly in his eyes as you responded to his question.

"No." The simplicity of your answer surprised even yourself, but once you had said it, you knew it was true. You were finally able to let go of Draco, and it felt like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders.

"Good," George breathed out, turning his body to face you while the both of you stood there.

"Good?" You questioned, a small smile playing around your lips.

"I mean- I'm just glad you can move on now," His explanation was partly right, but not quite the truth yet.

"Is that the only reason why you asked?" Now you were the one raising your eyebrows at him, knowing that there was something he wasn't telling you. George always seemed to forget that not only he could see through you, but that it worked vice versa as well.

"No," It didn't take him long for him to admit that you were onto something, but the redhead still added, "But this isn't the time or place for it."

"Oh my god, so there really is something you don't want to tell me," You teased and now that you were this curious to find out what it was, you definitely wouldn't be able to leave it alone, "Come on, Georgie. Please," You pleaded jokingly.

"Using my nickname against me, that's just cruel," He chuckled lightly, "You know I can't resist when you say it like that,"

"That's exactly why I'm doing it, Georgie," You tried your best to sound cute, and seemingly succeeded as you saw the pink tint on George's cheeks.

"Fine," He scoffed and gave into your tricks, "I'll tell you. But just know, I don't expect anything from you. I know you're hurt, and just went through all that chaos with your ex."

You noticed that George took a deep breath before continuing to speak, and was nervously tapping his foot on the snowy ground.

"Look, there's really no other way of saying this." He closed the distance between the two of you and took each of your hands in one of his. George let his thumbs run lightly along the back of your hands, which made you hold your breath for a second. "I'm in love with you, Y/N."

For a second, you felt like you were about to pass out. You tried to focus, and let his words truly sink in. Your heart skipped every other beat, but outwardly, your face seemed blank.

"And as I said, I don't expect anything from you, especially right now," George quickly added, studying your face and thinking that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life, "I know this probably isn't something you want, and that's alright. Let's just- forget this ever happened. Nothing is gonna change between us, I promise."

Your face was still blank, but on the inside, you felt like you were about to explode. You couldn't pinpoint when your feelings for George had shifted from friendship to this. Perhaps a part of your heart had always been beating for George, and you were just too caught up in your whirlwind of a relationship with Draco to even realise it. You figured it didn't matter anymore, anyway. All you knew for sure was that right now, more than just one part of your heart was beating for George. It was your whole being that wanted to be with him, in any way it possibly could.

"Can you just say something, Y/N? Please," George's voice was almost pleading, and it brought you back into reality.

You decided to not say anything.

Instead, you just flung your arms around George's neck and pulled him close. You closed your eyes and let your lips meet his. It was a soft kiss at first, George not quite yet realising that this was happening for real and that it wasn't just another one of his countless dreams about you. As it finally caught up to him, he didn't waste any more time. George lifted his arms and wrapped them around your waist, his fingers clutching onto the smooth fabric of your jacket for dear life.

He needed you close, and he needed it now. He allowed himself to deepen the kiss for the moment before you both pulled away breathlessly.

"We can take this slow, you know," He reassured you, taking your face in his hands and lifting it gently so he could get a proper look at you, "I understand if you're still confused about everything that happened these past days. We don't need to label this between us anytime soon if that's something you're not comfortable with yet."

"You just told me you loved me, that's not exactly taking it slow," You teased, but your smile was still tender as you looked up to him.

"You've got a point there," George chuckled quietly, lightly stroking your cheeks with his thumbs as he talked, "We'll take it slow from now on, then."

"I appreciate that," You sunk into his soft touch, and looked up to him with nothing but pure admiration in your eyes. It was true, of course you were still hurt and confused by Draco's actions. At last, you were able to let go, but it would take some more time until you were truly healed. But still, there was one thing that you weren't confused by, at least not anymore.

And those were your feelings for the person in front of you right now, "I'm in love with you too, by the way. If my actions didn't speak loud enough," You had a grin plastered onto your face, and George could barely resist the urge to just kiss you over and over again.

"Oh, the message was received, I think," He playfully remarked, and gave in to his urge to lean down and kiss you again. The feeling of your lips on his sent tingles down his spine, and he knew he would never get enough of that.

You both stood there like that for awhile longer, just breathing each other in. And when you snuck back into Hogwarts later that night, you did it hand in hand.


End file.
